Remembering Sandyhook
by Dan Rush
Summary: Astro is deeply affected by what happened at Sandyhook Elementary and asks us all to do something.


**I'll never understand but I'll never give up trying**

An Astroboy fanfic of the Sandy Hook massacre

By Dan Rush

© Astro boy 2003 Osamu tezuka, Tezuka Productions, Sony Pictures. All rights respected.

**Metro City**

**14 December 2012**

**Ministry of Science.**

Reno switched his computer monitor off and pushed himself back from his desk with a heavy sigh, his head drooped down and shaking as he stood up…

"This is really bad." He said to himself. "He knows already and he's probably not taking this good at all."

Reno walked across his apartment to the access ladder at the other end and paused for a moment to think before he climbed up to the roof of the ministry. This was Astro's most common "need to go." Place when he wanted to be by himself or when he didn't want to upset the people around him. As always, Reno saw him sitting on the edge of the roof looking out at the city below. His red moon boots were sitting to the side and he didn't turn to look at Reno as he climbed out of the access hatch and stood silently waiting for a glance…

Astro slowly turned his head to the side and softly patted his hand on the smooth silver surface of the roof. "Hi." He said softly.

"Hey." Reno replied with a hand wave. Slowly, Reno walked up and took a seat with his legs dangling over the edge. A sane person wouldn't be doing this without a harness even if Astro was there, a sign of how much the human teen trusted his mechanical friend. Reno could see it in Astro's face, how upset he was. Astro was still new at emotions and processing them into relevant reactions. At the moment he had to be struggling.

"You…heard?" Reno asked.

"Yeah…" Astro replied, pursing his lips. "Atlas called me…I think he's someplace between being angry and being confused. As for me…I torched my processor. I can't reason this out."

"Trust me…" Reno said as he wiped his eyes. "I…can't."

Astro rubbed his head, his hand almost fixating over the back spike as it rubbed it over and over till his hand fell as a balled fist and tapped over and over on the roof. "Children…" Astro said as his eyebrows turned down…"children…why children Reno? And before Christmas?" Astro closed his eyes…"I can't…I can't process it, can't reason it, can't…."

"WHAM!" Astro brought a fist down hard enough to dent the metal. "How can I justify my continued belief in humans when something so horrible proves otherwise? You know Atlas needled me over and over…"Told you! I told you! They're nothing better than violent barbarian monkeys!"

Astro's fist shook. "I actually started to agree with him…after this. There's still war, there's still nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, crime, murder, rape, abuse…and this animal slaughters a whole classroom of children. For all the good humans can try to prove they are capable of doing…it's never enough to pay for all the sins they've committed."

Astro stood up and paced about the roof with Reno close behind him. He kept silent, at least for the moment, to allow Astro his time to rant…

"It would be so easy." Astro said as he looked up to the sky. "Soooo easy. We robots could so rule this world in five minutes, humans wouldn't have the time to say "Holy crap!" Astro turned his head. "You know that don't you?"

Reno gulped. Astro wasn't kidding around.

"The whole world is so computerized, so automated, so dependent on technology? We robots could take over every bank, every nuclear weapon, every warship, every warplane, every UAV, every car, every computer. And we have every right to do it."

Reno shook. "He's really serious."

Astro gave Reno a cold hard look, really hard. Almost fearsome. "We have the right. The three laws tell us we have to protect those who created us from harm, to ensure the survival of the species. Maybe it's time we acted on what we're ordered to do."

"Astro?...I know you're torn up over what happened, believe me I am so…..pissed….so damn pissed I don't know how I can keep functioning right now but…think….please…please…."

Astro took a deep sigh and sat down. " I….have. In thought it would be so right? In deed though, the nightmare it would unleash would be just what many robot haters would love to see. Atlas called me a….well…a lot of swearing and " a pussy" thrown in for good measure."

Reno sighed with a slight smile. "You had me almost pissing my pants."

Astro frowned however…"What do we do though? What good can possibly come from this?"

Reno closed his eyes for a moment, then snatched Astro by a hand. "Come on…"

Astro skipped to keep up. "Huh? Where are we going?"

"To turn this into something good." Reno replied as he and Astro left the roof, walked out of the ministry and hopped onto Reno's hover bike.

**Kobo Cottage Orphan's home**

**Yokosuka**

Little Etsuko ran to sister Maria and pulled on her habit. "Sister! Come outside!"

"What is it child!" Sister Maria asked as she followed the waddling child to the front door and opened it to find Astro standing with a wide smile on his face in front of a mound of wrapped

Presents behind him…

"Merry Christmas Sister Maria!" Astro yelled cheerfully. He didn't have to tell the children behind Sister Maria what to do as they streamed past her and jumped around the pile looking for their gifts.

"My Lord…what brought this about?" Sister asked as Astro beamed watching the children enjoying themselves.

"I needed a little proof….that's all." Astro replied as he walked up to the pile and started handing out gifts.

The End

(Scene) We see the front of the old Mushi Production Studio in Fujimidai Japan. It's evening, it's snowing and a single light brightens the façade. Astro comes out of the front door, walks to the end of the drive and stops.

Astro: Hello everyone. It's almost Christmas as you know and this year it won't be very festive for many people. What happened at Sandyhook Elementary School will be on our minds. We may feel absolutely powerless in the face of such a terrible event but that's not true. I ask you to give, give from your heart. It can be as small as a teddy bear for an ambulance crew to comfort an injured child or a donation to Toys for Tots. If in some way, no matter how small, we can influence the future of one small child at a time? We can make sure that those who lost their lives at Sandyhook….will not have died for nothing….thank you and may the peace and love of Christmas be will all of us.

(scene) Astro bows and walks off camera

The end


End file.
